Apple CarPlay is Tim Cook's company driving assistance solution. One of the great disadvantages of this system with respect to Android Auto is that it does require a USB cable to work. What this cable does is transmit the information from the iPhone to the vehicle's navigation system to synchronize calls, applications and music. The good news is that there are third-party solutions that allow us to make use of wireless Apple CarPlay through a dongle or WiFi adapter. This time we have made a compilation of several CarPlay compatible dongles to use CarPlay without cables.
Android Auto vs Apple CarPlay, 5 differences that you should know yes or yes
Carlinkit Wireless Dongle, Amazon's Most Popular Solution
With almost 130 ratings and an average rating of 3.5 stars out of 5, this wireless adapter is the most popular solution on the platform. The adapter in question connects via the radio's USB connection . After installing the manufacturer's application (Carlinkit AutoKit) to sync data between iPhone and radio, the screen will start to show the full CarPlay interface.
It should be noted that this dongle is only compatible with vehicles that do not incorporate CarPlay as standard. In fact, it is only compatible with radios that have an Android version equal to or higher than Android 4.4.2 . This compatibility also extends to apple devices with versions equal to or higher than iOS 7.1.
Its price? 86 euros including shipping and direct management from Amazon.
Carlinkit Wireless Carplay Adapter 2.0, an improved version without app
As its name suggests, it is the new iteration of the Carlinkit adapter. The biggest difference of this model with respect to the previous one is that it does not depend on an external application, it is enough to connect the dongle to the USB port of the radio and access the car's navigator through an IP address provided by the manufacturer.
Another difference of the new generation has to do with the use of WiFi and Bluetooth technology to improve the latency of sound reproduction. Of course, its compatibility is not full, so we recommend consulting the list of compatible vehicles and radios. Its price is 170 euros on Amazon.
CPLAY2air, the most popular CarPlay adapter on the Internet
So is. The adapter in question has a 5-star rating on the manufacturer's website, where it accumulates more than 1,800 ratings.
The advantages of this adapter with respect to other solutions on the market is its compatibility with relatively old cars. It is also compatible with third-party radios such as those from Piooner, Alpine, and Kenwood . Curiously, its operation does not differ from the rest of the options that we have just mentioned.
Its price is 110 euros on the homonymous website . Unfortunately, it is not available on Amazon or third-party stores.
- Access the store
Atoto AC-WCPAA48, an inexpensive adapter for Android radios
This Atoto model comes as a platform solution compatible with both CarPlay and Android Auto. Like Carlinkit's solution, its compatibility is limited to full Android radios . In fact, the manufacturer recommends using its own radio, which can be purchased at the brand's own store on Amazon.
Regarding the operation of the dongle , Atoto's solution replicates the Carlinkit system, by combining the use of the WiFi network and the iPhone's Bluetooth connection. Its price on Amazon of 77 euros , with Amazon management and Atoto distribution.
Ohok USB, the cheapest dongle from Amazon
So is. It is also the most basic. Still, it is compatible with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It also supports the use of Siri through the built-in microphone.
These are all cars compatible with Apple's CarPlay in 2020
Like the rest of the adapters, its use is limited to vehicles that do not have the Apple system as standard . In fact, it can only be used by radio sets with a full Android version equal to or higher than Android 4.o. As for apple devices, compatibility is limited to iOS 8 or higher and iPhone 5 onwards.